Block
Part 1
Lina stared at her blank canvas for the longest time, racking her mind for ideas. She had her favourite paintbrush in her right hand, poised above her palette with her most loved colours already mixed. But she couldn't for her life think of anything to paint. It shouldn't be like that. She had everything like she wanted.
With a sudden scream, she threw the paintbrush and palette at the canvas. She stood, staring at the sudden splash of clashing colours spattered across the bare white. Her jaw closed in a furious line and stalked away from the studio part of her apartment to her bed and fell onto it. Lina rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.
"Why can't I do anything?" she demanded to the air.
"Meow!"
Lina sat up on the bed and leaned over to see her cat, Sayuri, pawing at her foot insistently.
"I know, I know. You're hungry," Lina grumbled affectionately, stroking the feline's head fondly.
Sayuri meowed in reply, still batting at Lina's foot. Lina slid off the bed with a laugh and walked to her small kitchen, the small calico trailing at her heels. She looked disgustedly at the pile of dirty dishes in the stainless steel sink and averted her eyes from the sight. The slender, short redhead reached into an open cupboard and took out a can of cat food. Pulling out a drawer, she removed the can opener and began to twist the can opener around the lid. With the can open, she walked over to Sayuri's dish, dumping the food in. Sayuri meowed happily, rubbing against her mistress's ankles once before rushing towards her dinner.
"Well, I'm glad at least one of us is happy," she told her cat, squatting down. Watching her cat eat for a few minutes reminded Lina of her hunger. Her stomach voiced itself in a loud rumble.
'Gotta get something to eat. I guess Sylphiel will take me in, even though I don't have a reservation.'
Lina padded back into her bedroom, barefoot, and took out her sandals from the closet and slipped those on before grabbing her keys, wallet and cell phone.
"Sayuri, I'm going out, okay? I'll be back later," she called to her cat, who watched her exit the apartment, the heavy door closing with a loud thud, echoing into the bare corners of the apartment with its splattered canvas, the clashing paint, threw in a fit of fury and frustration, drying slowly.
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"He stared with his steely gaze, laughed bitterly then slapped her sharply across the cheek. 'Don't ever think that I'm a fool. Did you think your little confession was real enough to trick me? I know your little games and I refuse to be a pawn in them. If you want to play for real and win, get an idiot,' he said coldly to the shocked woman. She gasped, clasping a pale hand to her reddened cheek, staring at him in disbelief."
Zelgadiss stared at his computer screen, gazing at the words he typed. Then he quietly and calmly stood up from his grand, comfortable, cushioned chair. He walked away silently until he reached his balcony overlooking the twinkling city. Then he shouted with all his fury into the sky.
"DAMNIT! DAMNIT ALL TO HELL!" he swore loudly, clenching his fists and slamming them down onto the iron railing. He turned his back onto the sparkling lights of the bustling city, refusing to enjoy the particular beauty of the night.
"This isn't happening. This isn't happening," he repeated, the familiar phrase springing to his lips.
"Shit, this is happening. This is happening. Thanks Dr. Renauld, those therapy sessions really helped," he muttered sarcastically to himself and to his psychologist, who just happened to sneeze at that moment. He unwillingly returned to his computer, deleting the paragraph he had just written with a tired sound of exasperation. He reclined, letting his head lay back and pressed his hands against his face.
"I can't write. I can't write. I can't write," he mumbled through his hands. "Why can't I write?"
He sighed and let his arms fall down, staring up at the bare white ceiling. He spun and saw the emptiness of his apartment. Bare white walls surrounded a sparsely furnished room with accents of silver and oak. A comfortable couch sat in front of his television, a strange note in the cool setting.
"Maybe I don't have it anymore," he muttered and stood up again. Then a grumble a sudden, strange empty urge struck his throat and stomach, a gurgle sounding from the latter. 'Maybe I should go to Sylphiel's. She'll probably let me in.'
He took his black jacket from his large bed and walked out of his silent apartment, stopping to slip his feet into a pair of black boots and to grab his keys and wallet. With a last look, he flicked the light switches off, leaving the apartment in lonely darkness with only a half-written manuscript glowing on a computer screen.
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Lina walked slowly past the crowds of people, too lost in her own thoughts to move aside for anyone to pass her easily.
The streetlights shone brightly on the street, briefly illuminating the variety of people that walked down the old fashioned main street. Singles, couples and families alike strolled down the quaint road, cheerfully chattering. Only one was like Lina, equally preoccupied with his thoughts and incidentally, was walking behind her quickly.
CRASH!
"Ack!" Lina cried out as felt someone from behind bump her.
"Ah!" Zelgadiss yelped as he smashed into someone's frame.
They went sprawling onto the ground, Zelgadiss onto of Lina.
"Ah...s-sorry," Zelgadiss stammered, as he flushed red, apologizing the back of a head full of long, fiery hair, as he stumbled to stand up.
Lina swore under her breath as she felt the body on top of her lift itself off, a voice stuttering apologies. He wasn't going to get off easily, the clumsy fool! He was probably a perverted teenager trying to cop a feel! She got up onto her knees and dusted herself off before she stood up and turned, ready to let her tongue loose with a lashing of verbal insults. Then she stopped short when she saw the man.
He was...positively gorgeous. Locks of silvery violet-blue hair fell around his face; a bang hung enticingly over one eye, hiding it from view, but the same colour as its twin, a deep sapphire holding such a...world within them. Clad in a dark-coloured ensemble, the fitted jeans, shirt and jacket hinted at the slender, but muscled body underneath the somber clothing and the most amazing thing was his gaze, holding such hurt and intelligence, penetrating her to the bone as she stood there, too shocked to say anything.
Zelgadiss stumbled over his words as the girl got up, dusting herself off, and turned around. The flowery apologies he had been stammering died on his tongue as he saw the female he had so unceremoniously crashed into. She seemed young; her height and the slim frame of her body hinted at that. Long, crimson hair fell in loose waves far past her shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face, which held scarlet eyes with such freedom and life that he felt lighter simply standing in front of her. The most remarkable thing about her was the force of her personality she unconsciously exerted, the aura radiating outward a feeling of life that actually made it bearable to live in the world for a few more minutes to spend the time blissfully soaking up the dynamic character.
Lina shook herself out of her reverie before saying, "It's all right. It was only an accident."
Zelgadiss did the same before replying, "Sorry! I didn't know where I was going."
Lina responded, "I already said it was okay." She smiled and he hesitantly smiled in reply.
Zelgadiss forced himself to say something. "I'm sorry. Can I buy you dinner as an apology?" 'I have to know more about her,' he thought.
Lina grinned and said, "Definitely! I'll take food as payment any day!" 'I need to know more about him.'
Unable to resist her infectious energy, he laughed a silvery peal of laughter ringing into the night. "Well then, shall we go? I know a very good restaurant of a friend of mine," he said as he offered his arm.
Lina looked peculiarly at the arm and accepted it, a faint blush colouring her fair skin.
'She's...beautiful.' 'He's...beautiful.' They thought simultaneously, staring at each other.
"So...where are we going?" Lina asked.
He smiled and said, "It's a secret," intending it to keep her in suspense of the food at Sylphiel's.
Lina suddenly stopped and wrenched her arm from his hold and stared at him, trembling, her hand covering her mouth.
Zelgadiss, confused, asked, "What's wrong?"
"...Why did you say that?"
"Say what?"
"It's a secret."
"Huh? I...I meant it as a joke. It...was supposed to be funny."
"Oh."
"Is there anything wrong?"
"What? Oh, no! No, not at all," she said quickly.
He looked intently at her, letting her make her excuses to hide what she did not want to reveal and said, "The restaurant is close now. We should be there soon."
She nodded and walked beside him silently.
Above them, stars twinkled in the black fabric of the darkened sky, their brightness a bit dimmer than it was a moment ago when memories were ripped from dark recesses, forced upon the owner's reality and events took a new course when two meandering paths crossed, leading to a single door.